Former House Majority Leader David Lust, who died last week, is remembered by colleagues as an intelligent debater.
That was on full display in 2018. He sparred with fellow legislator Mark Mickelson about an effort to limit out-of-state contributions to ballot questions.
More than $10 million in out-of-state money was poured into campaigns for and against ballot questions in 2016. One of those that passed was Marcy’s Law—a voter-approved crime victims’ rights law.
Former Speaker Mickelson says those debates were challenging and intellectually stimulating.
SDPB’s Lee Strubinger digs into his audio archive and has this audio post-card from their debate over the First Amendment and the role of out-of-state money in South Dakota politics. We first hear from Mickelson and then Lust.
The ban on out-of-state contributions was ultimately deemed unconstitutional by a federal court. Lust died suddenly last Friday night from cardiac arrest. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at the civic center in Rapid City. He was 53.
